Of course, it would be nearly impossible to be all the way through everything so far, but we'd like to hear exactly what you think so far. Feel free to send any impressions, along with your email address, name/nickname and links to us, and we'll add it to the article!
Here are my first impressions after playing for about 5 hours... Like GTA III and Vice City before it, San Andreas is the epitome of immersive. No other game I've experienced pulls you in deeper than the GTA series, and so far San Andreas looks to have that special sauce to make it another love-it-or-hate-it classic. Although this particular version is more adult than ever, GTA is almost as controversial because you either live it breathe it and love it, or cautiously sample its offerings and proclaim it as over-rated over-hyped garbage.
For the record I preferred GTA III over Vice City, the experience of a convincingly realized enormous interactive game world was not as fresh for the 2nd helping. How about a 3rd?
Well honestly the start of GTA:SA is just good enough to keep you playing, but not much more than that. The first few sessions are more like "Ok, this seems decent, but it also seems raw, unfinished and downright crude" rather than "Wow, this is the greatest game ever!". Then slowly you get acclimated to the game world, and start discovering new things around you. New things like the ability to swim, adding a waypoint on the pause menu map with the circle button, adjusting your targeting for a head shot with the right analog stick, talking back to pedestrians, starting with a 2 car garage, and requesting gang members in the immediate vicinity to get your back for an impromptu showdown with the local authorities on your home turf.
Like new sneakers; first they hurt, then they become comfortable, then they become your favorite after thoroughly breaking them in. For me, San Andreas is getting more comfortable and I'm looking forward to thoroughly breaking it in.
-- Gino - (GA Reader)
What can I say? This game is "the sims" I've always wanted--it adds a gangsta hip hop flavour to the GTA series with RPG aspects. The ability to be able to alter your character in terms of muscle, sex appeal, tattoos, haircuts, clothing etc. to what YOU want is amazing-- it had me hooked right away.
The graphics are fine by me.. no real jump from Vice City; but there are noticeable effects that have been added (eg. the headlights actually illuminate passing vehicles and characters). Although in some instances the PS2 seems to chug at trying to render everything at once--but hey, that's the price you pay for ABSOLUTELY NO LOADING TIMES! (except when you walk inside buildings)
It's a loooooooooong game as well, i've spent a good amount of time on it and i'm just getting started-- i'd expect over 80 hrs of gameplay easy.
And the best part? They've added a gas tank shot!!!!! Shoot the gas tank of any car and it auto blows up--- finally no need to waste the car via power bar.
It's fun to just pickup and play.
-- Wibbles - (GA Reader)
The long awaited Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is finally here. Is it worth the wait? In short, yes. SA is a solid game that is sure to please all fans of the series.
The game opens with a FMV featuring the main character, Carl, and a little backstory. You probably already know the deal- CJ's mother was murdered so he's going back to San Andreas's gang life. After being stripped of cash by some crooked cops, you're back in the hood, and thus the game begins.
San Andreas is just as open-ended as the previous games in the series, but the game spoon-feeds you information early on in the game as you get used to the controls and mission setup. Not that the controls are hard to understand -- they're basically the same as they were in GTA3. One small difference, though- you can no longer use the directional pad to move your character around (instead the up/down arrows change radio stations once you're in a vehicle). At the start of the game, you're prompted to ride a bicycle - a new addition to the already impressive line-up of vehicles. Controlling the bike is a bit akward at first - you hold down X to pedal and tap it to go faster, and you won't go anywhere if you hold up on the analog stick, because that instead shifts your weight to the front of the bike. It's probably the best way to implement this handling, however.
The gameplay is of course refined from Vice City, but underneath all of the new features (such as the ability to get a hair cut, purchase food, the new vehicles and weapons, minigames, and the improved targeting system) lies the same game that we've all played in 2002. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on your view of the series. You can still kill hookers and old ladies, make dramatic escapes from the cops, and explore the enviroment to your heart's content, but for some people this basic formula may be getting a bit old.
In terms of visuals, GTA San Andreas really makes the PS2 show its age. The game dosen't look terrible, but the simple character designs and dull textures seem to lack polish and really won't impress. It dosen't help that the framerate is constantly stuttering - the game is always trying to keep up with itself, especially during intense moments. There are some clipping issues as well, and the animation in some places is just terrible. I'd love to see this on a next gen console or even on Xbox, GCN, or PC, because there's some times where it seems the PS2 can't handle the heat. In the audio department, however, there is a constant variety of tunes on the many radio stations, ranging from early 90's hip-hop to rock to as-always hysterical dialogue segments in fake talk shows. Driving around doing whatever in SA's huge enviroment is made even better thanks to the large selection of music and talk stations.
If you're a fan of the GTA series and you don't own this yet, what are you waiting for? Based on my play experience, it delivers exactly what they were promising. Those who found Vice City or GTA3 to be dull might want to give this one a rental first, although the improved targeting system and other refinements may be enough for you to warrant a purchase.
-- Brian Sullivan - (GA Forum User, Nintelligent Network)
